Hyderabad: An interstate ganja transportation network allegedly operating between Odisha and Hyderabad was busted following an 18-hour pursuit, with the EAGLE Force, Regional Narcotics Control Cell (RNCC) Khammam and Choutuppal police jointly seizing 20.5 kg of ganja worth about Rs. 10.25 lakh.
Acting on credible information on the night of August 26, the teams kept surveillance on a car that was allegedly transporting ganja from Odisha to Hyderabad. The vehicle reportedly halted near Sabbavaram in Visakhapatnam for over seven hours before resuming its journey towards Hyderabad at around 7.30 am on August 27.
After crossing Rajahmundry, the vehicle proceeded towards the Khammam-Suryapet route. The RNCC Khammam team tracked the car for more than two hours but avoided an immediate interception as the vehicle was travelling at high speed, and stopping it on the highway could have posed a risk to the police personnel and occupants.
The team alerted the State Task Force (STF), which coordinated with Choutuppal police to intercept the vehicle near Panthangi Toll Plaza. The car was finally stopped after it slowed down beyond the toll plaza.
Two persons, identified as Trilochan Samantra, 30, and his nephew Sagar Bal, 23, both from Kendrapara district in Odisha, were taken into custody. Police also seized three mobile phones and the vehicle.
According to preliminary investigation, the suspects allegedly procured around 20 kg of ganja from an Odisha-based supplier, Amit Sahani, for Rs 25,000 at the request of Hyderabad-based receiver Bikash Barik. The consignment was allegedly being transported to Hyderabad for further sale. Police said Trilochan had supplied ganja to Barik on earlier occasions.
Trilochan is reportedly involved in several criminal cases in Odisha, including theft, dacoity and cases under the Arms Act. Police said Barik had earlier been arrested by Gachibowli police in a Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) case in June this year.
Barik and Sahani are currently absconding, and efforts are underway to trace them. Police are also investigating the wider interstate network involved in the procurement, transportation and distribution of ganja.
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